For Crying Out Loud

When Chris Arreola lost badly to Vitali Klitschko back in 2009, he wept uncontrollably.

I totally understand crying for joy; I have done it myself. Athletes have been doing it for years. Heck, who can ever forget Michael Jordan’s tears after the Bulls won the championship shortly following the death of his father, or those of Buster Douglas as he celebrated his upset over Mike Tyson looking upward as if to say “this was for you, my mother.” These were understandable and totally acceptable shows of emotion—and they were poignant.

Chris Arreola

“He was taking too much punishment… When I told him I was going to stop the fight he was irate.”—Trainer Henry Ramirez

When Chris Arreola lost badly to Vitali Klitschko back in 2009, his corner saved Chris from himself as he was taking a savage and bloody beating. Arreola wept uncontrollably for over 10 minutes and finally said after the slaughter, “I’m so sorry, I really wanted to be champion…never wanted to quit.”

“He had a great performance and I was very surprised,” said Klitschko. “He had a great chin and after my right hook, many opponents go to the floor but he still stayed up. Big respect.” And certainly nothing to cry about.

Alfredo Angulo

When menacing Alfredo Angulo came back after a year off and KOd Raul Casarez in 56 seconds in November 2011, he shed tears of joy and it was a touching scene. Perro had been through a helluva lot outside the ring. But when he lost to Saul Alavrez in 2014, he also wept but this time from disappointment at what he thought was a premature stoppage. The fact was he had taken a solid beating from a better fighter. And anyone who saw the final malefic head snapping uppercut absorbed by Perro knew he was being saved from far worse than a stoppage. Those tears were unnecessary.

Maybe it’s a Mexican thing—something cultural—but the sight of macho brutes like “The Nightmare” and “Perro” weeping is not conducive to comfort.

Francesco Pianeta

When Wlad Klitschko stepped on the gas and put away the 6’5” Italian in May 2013, you would have thought it was the biggest upset since Tyson vs. Douglas given the manner in which Pianeta reacted. After having been savaged for the entire fight, he reacted to the stoppage as if he had been the heavy favorite going in. The usual great sportsmanship then followed after which Pianeta was seen weeping for a lengthy time. But he had heart, courage and he went out on his shield.

Andre Berto

In the scheme of things, the overly hyped Berto turned out to be more Lacy than Ward. After being stopped by Jesus Soto Karass in the twelfth round in July 2013, Berto looked like a totally worn fighter. He seemed to know his career as a top contender might be over as he buried his head into the comfort body of Virgil Hunter and wept unabashedly as Virgil rubbed his head. It impossible not to share Andre’s hurt and it was painful to witness.

Cedric Agnew

“I fear no man.”—Cedric Agnew

“I found the key to the body. I found this open place in his defense and my last punch was harder.”—Sergey Kovalev

Cedric Agnew fought Sergey Kovalev on March 29, 2014 and was, well, crushed, but he did give a decent account of himself in the early going, showing a Winky Wright-type defense and some decent counters. Meanwhile, “The Krusher” got some badly needed rounds and did show some new things himself as he made the proper adjustments before perpetrating the wax job. However, after the fight, Agnew stayed down and wept for at least 12 minutes for reasons that were not particularly clear. Maybe it had to do with his elderly parents being in the audience (and being shown on TV far more than was necessary) or perhaps Cedric actually believed he could win the fight and was weeping over the “disappointing” outcome. A possible broken nose, swollen face, and blood-filled mouth also could have been contributing factors. However, the length of the crying jag in relation to its possible cause was entirely disproportionate.

While I have nothing against an occasional show of emotions, I trust we are not seeing the beginning of a somewhat discomforting trend.

Ted Sares is a private investor who enjoys writing about boxing. A member of both the RAW and the Elite Powerlifting Federation,Ted is one of the oldest active competitors in the world and on March 29, 2014,he broke his own New Hampshire state records in the Squat, Bench Press, and Dead Lift.

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we only get to see…what we get to see…forget the PPV thing…
with the right ‘connections’...a fighter could…and can…be elevated to the point where…..THE RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD…

TED can fill in the blanks…but there was this white kid ..who could fight some(quote…Jimmy Cannoin)...in the fifties..college and like that…
Bounced and was very ..very fit…was well sponsored….usually out pointed ......or pummelled his opponents in late rounds….

somebody in his camp started to read the headlines…..and matched the guy with Kid Gavilan…..who ...also was being touted in the papers as a flower that was fading….

..who was that white guy’s name…......got beat real bad when it came to stepping in with the best…........and btw…who was his manager…who was the bravest man since LIBERY VALENCE

I always read any scrap of writing i can…..from the BULL…got all his books…one he even signed…

...Talk about tears…...supposing you were Ron Lyle…doing the hammer and tong thing…...in ‘76 ( I was still with my first wife in those years)against George Foreman….last chance for Lyle…

in round five…when both of these guys were so battered and weary from landing MAJOR .....MAJOR….and that is with a fkn capitol MMMMMM blows upon one another….

Foreman lands a combination of punch and shove…..and Lyle goes into the ropes…clearly down…(if the fukn rules mean anything)...and that is a knock down(not like there hadn’t been a few so far in this match)

Had referee Charley Roth called it a knock down( as he should have…but some say Charley’s dog was being held hostage…)...and Lyle be given his eight count…..who knows what would have happened that night

Referee had too much to do with the result of that fight…and ...tears continue…FOR CRYING OUT LOUD

Ted Sares-I’m starting to get the suspicion that Shumenov is not the real deal….could be wrong….can’t quite put my finger on it….but the feeling is there. For some reason both Pascal and Hopkins seemed to be just a tiny bit too eager and excited about getting in the ring with him. What is your take on him?

I respect your post and point, Robert Portis but he WAS crying regardless of the reason. There is no disrespect meant for a boxer who weeps. However, I don’t want to see a pattern because I personally find it discomforting. For crying out loud, give ME a break.

Agnew WAS NOT CRYING. The reason he was down and stayed down was because he was in agony. The shot to the solar plexus incapacitated him. He could not continue and was IN AGONY. Give the guy a break. He took a heavy shot from one of the hardest punchers in the sport and it landed right on that spot where if I poke you with my finger you’re going to be in serious discomfort.

AKT, Agreed. Only the athlete and/or fighter has any idea how many hours of sacrifice, blood, sweat, and toil has gone into their preparation. Got to disheartening to see it possibly all go too waste. A lot of these guys probably are ill prepared to do anything but box, so to see their careers in peril would be quite a blow too.

@Ted - I don’t think it’s that hard to understand. For any sportsman who has been training majority of his life for the moment to the shine, it is a huge blow when plans don’t work out. For some, it may mean back to square one. Also, losing an unbeaten record for the first time must put a huge dent in ego and psyche. Long and short of it, is that any anti-climatic moment is always a hard pill to swallow, hence tears. I actually kinda understand their pain.

That brings me back, Irish. Because of my name, I got a lot of “Georgie Porgie” when I was a kid. I’m reminded of a very good movie, “Nightmare in Chicago,” with Philip Abbott effective as a psychopathic killer known as—you guessed it—“Georgie Porgie.”

Clarence George-Speaking of crying….yesterday was Mothering Sunday in the UK sometimes referred to as Pudding Pie Sunday in honor of Georgie Porgie who ” kissed the girls and made them cry”.....gotcha!...it’s really a church celebration to honor our moms…. which reminds me…..always wondered if there wasn’t a dark back story to that nursery rhym
e.

Michonne needs to give the weeping a rest. Every episode salty tears run down her cheeks onto poor Carl’s face., If she does not stop, they should turn her loose into the forest without that decapitator.

Don’t hold with men crying. Anyway, Ted, I’m writing to the producers of “The Walking Dead,” urging increasingly effusive motherly sentiment on the part of Michonne, to be of course accompanied by non-stop lachrymations. No, no—no need to thank me.

Former Philly Eagles Head coach Dick Vermeil was a notorious cryer…Cried when he won, cried when he lost, cried when doing an interview, cried when the wind blew east…As for Agnew, I truly believe he believed that he could best Kovalev…Got to give the man his props…By the by, Trainer Virgil Hunter is sure on a losing streak, ain’t he? Bet he can’t wait for Andre Ward to get back in the ring…Peace.

In the case of Agnew the answer is easy…..he actually believed he could beat Kovalev….stop and think about that for a minute….and then ask yourself….where in the f**k do fighters like Agnew get these bloated, metastatic egos…is it in the genes, is it low IQ, is it from the sycophantic team that surrounds him, or just maybe it’s because of a deep seated delusion that someone who looks like Kovalev couldn’t possibly destroy him the way he did.

I believe Adam Corolla wrote a book titled, “In 50 Years We’ll Be Chicks.” Like to add football player Terrell Owens to this list. Tony Ayala, after quitting against Yori Boy Campas. Even read that Duran cried after quitting against Leonard.